Choices
by thegoatromantic
Summary: Hermione wakes up in the middle of the night and remembers all of the choices that she made during her life and how they affected her. HG/SS


Author's Note: Sorry the ending kind of sucks, but I didn't just couldn't figure out how to finish it off nicely. It's not a terrible ending, but I feel that it could have been done better, yeah? So anyway, I don't own any of the characters in this story (ahem, J. K. Rowling), I just borrowed them to write this piece of work. Don't forget to: read, review, and enjoy!

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**Choices**

Hermione opened her eyes slowly and gazed up at the dark ceiling. Thoughts raced through her head so fast that she couldn't catch one to think about it for more than half a second. She shivered and looked over to the man lying asleep next to her; tonight he was the cause of her racing mind. She reached out and touched his shoulder and he twitched a little, gave a small, appreciative hum, and then grabbed the blankets closer and fell back into his deep sleep. Hermione mouthed his name before she threw back the covers and got out of the bed. _Severus_.

Severus Snape, her previous potions professor at Hogwarts, the constant bane of her, and Harry and Ron's, existence for nearly 7 years. Hermione grinned as she remembered all the trouble they used to get in by Snape. He was there at every turn, waiting to correct their mistakes. Hermione looked over her shoulder at the sleeping man once again and smiled. Her heart felt lighter when she looked at him. She was completely in love.

It had happened many years ago. In fact, the first beginnings of it happened while she was still in her 7th year. She blushed, remembering how childish her interest in him was. Being the quiet, studious girl she was, she never gave any sign of having affections for the somber potions professor, but she was always watching him in class: every time he looked into her cauldron to check her potion, her veins hummed and she was rendered helpless and silent until he finished his examination and left. Whenever he gave a lesson, she completely lost focus and could only concentrate on the sound of his deep, drawling voice. She would imagine him saying her name, telling her that he loved her. He'd whisper sweet nothings in her ear and kiss her lightly. Of course, because she hadn't paid attention in class, she was always having to study after class, not that she really ever had anything to do anyway. Harry and Ron were always busy flirting with some girl or another, or playing some sort of prank on one of the other boys, and if by some chance they weren't doing that, they were following Malfoy around and trying to determine what his latest scheme would be.

Hermione sighed, slightly pained by the memories of her friends. After they graduated she lost contact with them. Harry had moved on to become a famous Quidditch player and was always busy with something, be it a game or a public event. Hermione had seen many pictures of him in the paper over the years, along with his wife Luna. Hermione had never guessed that Harry would end up marrying Luna. She hadn't even know that Harry and Luna were quite close with each other until after they had all left Hogwarts. Even then she hadn't found out until she had read the story in the paper and seen the pictures of the two of them together.

They're so perfect for each other, she thought. They're both so loyal and loving. It's a deep, true love. Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, lost in thought. She was so out of touch with everyone. She regretted not spending more time with her friends before they all left Hogwarts for the last time. Hermione sighed. She had a lot of regrets about her past, she realized. LIke Ron.

Hermione had been so sure that Ron was her one and only. For nearly 6 years she thought he was the only one for her. She felt foolish for ever believing it. While nothing seriously bad happened between them, she eventually realized that she couldn't stand to be with Ron anymore. There was something about him that always left her wishing for more. Ron was a sweet, gentle guy, but he just didn't have enough courage or motivation for anything. He never wanted to go places, or do things. To put it simply, he wanted a quiet, easy life whereas Hermione wanted, needed, something more. In the end they split up and went their separate ways. Last she had heard, Ron was still a little sore about the break-up. She felt bad, but there was nothing she could do. They were just too different to be lovers.

A rustling noise caught Hermione's attention and she turned toward the bed to see Severus turn over onto his other side. She chuckled quietly as he snuggled into his pillow and tugged the blanket up higher. There was really no reason for her to chuckle at his actions, there was certainly nothing out of the ordinary about them, but she just felt happy seeing him so at ease.

Over the years, Severus had remained similar to his old self. He never really broke from his shell or became more personable, but stayed the quiet, short-tempered potions master of Hogwarts. Oh yes, he still worked at Hogwarts. It was like he was a part of the building. Hermione wondered what Severus would do if anything ever happened to Hogwarts. Where would he go? There was nowhere else she could imagine him being. The only place she could ever picture him at was in the dungeons of Hogwarts, sorting potions and scowling at rambunctious students as they rushed down the hallways toward their next classes.

Hermione yawned and gently scratched the back of her neck, still thinking about the dingy old dungeon in Hogwarts. It was the dimmest, wettest, slimiest place she had ever been, but surprisingly, it reminded her of some of her best memories. Again, she looked over her shoulder at the man lying in her bed, asleep.

She couldn't really remember how it all began. Well, there was my little infatuation, she thought sleepily, but I never really acted on that. She yawned again and stretched her arms over her head. Or did I? She shook her head. No, it began after that.

It was her 7th year, her final year at Hogwarts. Hermione studied more and harder than ever before that year. She wanted the best marks she could get. She had big plans for herself. Big plans that came to fruition, she thought happily. As of now, she was currently a successful historian and member of the Order. Even though Voldermort had been dead for many years, the Order decided to stay together, just incase need for them ever arose. All my studying paid off, she thought, thinking back on her life. I studied hard and got what I wanted. I couldn't ask for anything more. But she did get more. She got more in the form of Severus Snape.

She never really had anything to do with "Snape" before the last part of her final year. She was able to avoid contact with him and was only forced to be near him during her potions classes. In her mind, she was quite lucky. Her luck changed, however, when she had allowed Harry and Ron to help make a potion. Sure, she said, you can help. Just follow these instructions. Ron rolled his eyes at her and said, "Geez, Hermione, we're not four. I think we manage to make a potion on out own. Right, Harry?" He nudged his friend in the side with his elbow. Harry shrugged and said, "It'll be fine. We're smart. I think we can handle it." He smiled, and for some reason she trusted that smile.

She regretted trusting that smile after the cauldron had bubbled over and the contents had mixed with ingredients on the table and caused an explosion. The three of them were forced to attend detention in Snape's classroom for the next three weeks after the event. Hermione, of course, was the one who did most of their detention work, which was mostly cleaning up the room. That had been one of the worst experiences in her entire life. She didn't believe that anything could ever be as dirty as the potions classroom was.

One night, about a week into their punishment, Harry and Ron approached her and asked her if they could leave early.

"We want to go play Quidditch with the guys. It'll only be this once, Hermione. I promise." Harry smiled at her and lifted his hand. Again Hermione trusted the smile. She didn't know when she'd ever learn to not trust that smile. Not that it meant he was lying, it just meant that he seriously meant what he said but that fate had decided that that was not what was actually going to happen. Many nights after that one Hermione was left to finish the work on her own, long into the night.

One of those nights Snape had decided to grace them all with his presence. Much to his surprise, only Hermione was there, on the floor with a rag, scrubbing.

Absolutely no magic, he had said, glaring at all of them, you'll use your hands and get down on your knees and scrub. I want it sparkling in here.

Hermione, not realizing that Snape had walked into the classroom, jumped when he cleared his throat and began speaking to her. "Ms. Granger, we seem to be short a few people, do we not?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes, I thought so. Exactly where have Misters Potter and Weasley gone off to tonight?"

Hermione bit her lip, unsure as to whether or not to tell the truth. She decided to go with a half truth. "They had something important to do, so I told them that I would stay and clean up. I'm sure they'll make it up to me later."

"What noble thoughts, Ms. Granger, however I fear that they are naive thoughts. I do not see your work being lessened by them any time soon." Hermione sighed.

"Yes, professor, I know." Hermione glanced up at him through the hair that was hanging down in her face. He seemed to frown when she looked at him, but right after looking up she went back to scrubbing the floor.

Snape walked a few more feet into his classroom and then stopped. He looked down at Hermione and then looked off to the side. "Miss Granger, that will be all for the night. You may return to your common room now."

Hermione gasped slightly and shyly glanced up at her professor. His sudden kindness confused her, but she didn't question it. She was, after all, completely sick of scrubbing floors...and shelves...and cauldrons...and everything else Snape had to clean. So she stood up and brushed off her clothes, coughing as she inhaled the dust.

Hermione grabbed her books and looked over to Snape, who was now correcting assignments at his desk. For some reason that she'd never be able to figure out, Snape looked handsome to her. She blushed slightly, thinking that her crush on him had been over a long time ago. She took a deep breath and walked over to his desk. She stopped in front of it and stared down at the papers he was correcting. Almost immediately he realized she was standing there and he glanced up into her eyes, non-verbally demanding an excuse for her behavior. She stumbled over her words, but was finally able to say something.

"I. Um. Good night, professor?" As soon as the last word dropped from her lips, she walked very quickly to the door, hoping it didn't look like she was running away, because lord help that, that was what she felt like doing. As soon as she exited the potions classroom she fell back against the wall and dropped to the floor.

"How could I do that? What on EARTH was I thinking? 'Good night, professor?' Seriously? Ugh!" Hermione hung her head down and looked around, hoping there was nobody there to see her. Thankfully, there was nobody. Hermione silently gave thanks and then stood back up and returned to her dorm.

For a while after that, nothing exciting happened. The three reported to the potions room each night and did their cleaning, Ron and Harry included. Hermione was slightly disappointed that Snape did not show up again, however she felt somewhat calmed by the fact that he didn't show up as well. It seemed that every time he showed up, she started acting like a fool. She couldn't get her words out properly and her body stopped listening to her brain. She felt like a pitiful schoolgirl fawning over a crush. She thought about this the entire time she cleaned, and when she finally came back to reality, Harry and Ron were gone and there was a note on the table.

Hermione,

We tried telling you we were leaving, but you were in your own little world. So we just left.

-Harry and Ron

Hermione frowned. Was she really that deep in thought? She shook her head. No. That just wasn't normal. Why would she think about Snape so much?

The "relationship" between the two finally started to bloom one night as Hermione was leaving dentention. Ron and Harry had long since left and Hermione was knee-deep in a project and unable to leave with them. After finally finishing it, she was ready to leave. She quickly grabbed her books and ran out the door, not watching for people walking into it. And so she ran into Snape.

She hit his chest with a soft thump and landed on the floor, her books thrown everywhere. She threw out a quick apology, not still not realizing who she had ran into. When she finally looked up, she gasped and her face quickly turned red.

She ran into Snape. She. Ran. Into. Snape. She felt completely foolish and began her rant of apologies once again.

"Oh. Professor, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going and I was in a hurry to leave and-" Snape cut her off.

"Save your excuses, Miss Granger." Hermione relaxed a little, feeling that no punishment would be implemented. "They don't matter to me, " he continued. "The result was still the same. Perhaps you'd like to join me for another week of dentention?" Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but Snape stopped her. "I had a feeling you would enjoy some more detention. I will see you again tomorrow, Miss Granger."

Hermione's heart sank. She really hated those detentions. They took away her precious time and forced her to do the bidding of the cold-hearted potions professor. Her work was thankless, and she would've rather spent her time elsewhere, doing things for herself. However, her solo detention was much more bearable than her joint detention with her friends. The biggest difference was that Severus attended her solo detention and he did not attend the joint detention.

It was during these solo detentions that Hermione was able to melt away some of the ice surrounding Severus's heart. She worked silently, no longer on cleaning, but on correcting assignments. Should a question arise on an assignment, she would consult him and then go back to her work. Every once in a while she would be allowed to make a comment, and he would answer her, albeit a sharp, quick answer, and give her a slight insight to the man behind the desk.

Somehow, Hermione had ended up showing up in the potions room every day after class, and each day she would sit quietly in the back of the classroom and study. When confronted about her whereabouts, she would always tell them she had found somewhere quiet to study and that she did not want to be searched for. They usually left it alone at that, and most times Hermione was not worried.

It was already late in the year when Hermione had finally, really, seriously talked to Severus. It was late one night, and she was packing up her stuff. It was a night like any other; there was nothing special about it. The moon wasn't full, the stars were not aligned in any special fashion. It was an average night. It was just her and Severus, sitting in the classroom.

As Hermione shoved books into her bag, she stopped, by an odd chance, and looked over to Severus's desk. She gasped, dropping a book on the floor. She spared it a second to make sure that it wasn't damaged, and then looked back over at her professor. She could not believe her eyes, but there it was, right in front of her: Professor Severus Snape had fallen asleep at his desk. Hermione chuckled and hoped that she remember the image for the rest of her life. Not wanting to get in more trouble, she began to creep away from his desk and toward the door. She paused for a moment, thinking about how calm and peaceful he looked. She wanted this to be the way she remembered she professor, not as some angry, harsh tyrant. She placed her bag quietly on the floor and sat in a chair near his desk and watched him.

He slept for a while longer, and Hermione jumped when his eyes fluttered open. Her cheeks instantly turned bright red and she hurried to find an excuse for her behavior because she knew he would ask. She watched his eyes scan the classroom and then widen and stop when they got to her. She sat quietly with her head down, hoping that he would come up with some far-out reason of his own for why she was sitting there. Of course he did not, and he shot out of his chair and stalked over to her. He was clearly upset.

"Granger! Where did you learn that it was acceptable for you to spy on a professor whilst they are asleep!" Hermione didn't answer. "Granger, an explanation, please." He said it politely enough, but Hermione knew that underneath the polite voice was a command that she must be obey. She looked up at her professor and stared him in the eyes.

"I apologize for watching you sleep, Professor, but you looked so calm and I wanted to remember what it looked like." Snape's eyes narrowed, obviously not buying her answer even though it was the truth. She tried again. "I'm telling the truth, Professor, really. I've never seen you so at peace before and I wanted to remember you that way instead of as an angry, relentless slave-driver." She cringed as Snape took offense to the statement and walked nearer to her. He finally stopped when he was directly in front of her chair and she had to tilt her head all the way back to look at his face. He was not amused at all, and Hermione wished she had made the sane decision to go back to her room instead of stay behind to watch her professor sleep. She was going to pay for her decision now.

He opened his mouth, and instead of a tirade of loud, angry scolds, out came a string of soft, whispered words.

"Granger, is this how you are imagining me?" He leaned closer to her and kneeled on the floor. His face was inches from hers now, though it was a little lower than hers. Her face turned red and she could feel the warmth coming from her cheeks. "Do you like to fancy that I'm a kind, softhearted man with gentle hands?" Hermione gulped and began to squirm in her chair. He leaned closer still and Hermione was sure he was going to touch her face with his, but then he abruptly stood up and began to yell at her. "I am nothing of the sort, Granger, and you would do well to remember that. No amount of anything will change who I am." Hermione blinked at him, trying to remember what they were talking about. The train went back on it's tracks and Hermione quickly gave input.

"I don't think you're all that terrible of a man, Professor, you can't be. I've seen you do nice things for people, so you can't tell me that deep down inside yourself is not someone who is kind and caring." Snape crossed his arms and scowled.

"I've had enough of this Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor. Now go back to your common room and do not come here again." Hermione growled quietly but picked up her belongings and left the classroom.

She did not realize that when he had said "do not come back here again" that he had meant it literally. After she had finished all of her classes, she went to the potions room as she usually did. When she tried to open the door, a shock went through her hand and she yelped, releasing the handle of the door. She glared down at it and knocked lightly on the door, hoping that Snape would answer it. He did not, and so Hermione angrily headed toward the library, deciding that it was the next best place to do some studying. She did not enjoy her time in the library that day, and she decided that she would get Snape back for it later, which surprised her. She had never wanted to get back at someone so badly before, except for maybe Malfoy.

Hermione looked back at Severus again and narrowed her eyes at him. She had never gotten her payback on him like she had vowed she would, but that was because other things had ended up happening.

She had been out of Hogwarts for a few years when she received a letter from her old transfigurations professor, Minerva McGonagall. Minerva had simply wanted to catch up with her old student and invited to come back to Hogwarts for a short visit. She accepted the invitation happily and about a week later found herself in Hogwarts dining with the elderly woman. They caught up as much as they could in a few hours' time, and then Minerva had to excuse herself so that she could go teach her classes. She gave Hermione permission to stroll around the grounds for a little while and then thanked Hermione again for coming to visit. After Minerva left, Hermione knew exactly where she wanted to go and immediately found her feet traveling down the path she had always used to get there. She finally stopped in front of the potions classroom and could hear voices muttering from inside the room. She smiled and placed her hand on the door handle. Whatever spell Snape had put on it while she was there was no gone and Hermione turned the handle slowly.

Everything was as she had remembered it. The potions room had always been an organized mess and she was pleased to see that it still remained that way. Snape was at the front of the room, as usual, writing on the chalkboard behind him, completely oblivious to the fact that anyone had entered the classroom. She was amused by this fact and instantly thought up her method of revenge. She recalled a past experience with her professor where she was quite sure he was going to kiss her. In the end he had not kissed her, and she had felt like a fool. It was his turn to feel the same way. Still trying to be quiet, Hermione began her trek to the front of the classroom.

As she walked down the aisles, she could hear the mutterings of the students as they realized that someone was in the classroom. She silently hoped that none of them would give her away, and her hopes fell short when the raven haired man turned around. His eyes were just as hard as she remembered them, and they grew larger as her identity slowly dawned on him.

"Miss Granger, how kind of you to return. May I ask to what I owe this favor?" Hermione shook her head and walked up to the tall man and not stopping until their feet were touching. Snape tried to back up but Hermione grabbed his arms and held him in place. She gazed up into his eyes and he knew that she was planning something, but he was not quick enough to figure out what it was before she pulled him closer and locked their lips together.

She had not intended to kiss him for very long, but she found herself drawn to his soft lips and she could not stop kissing him. She gripped the robes on his arms tighter and closed her eyes. She had almost lost herself in the kiss until a student coughed and she came back to reality. She retracted her face from his and smiled at him.

"Why, Professor," she asked, trying her best to look innocent. Her cheeks were red and she was embarrassed, but she only had to keep up the act for a little while longer before she could run away. "Do I have to have a reason to come see you" She batted her eyelashes at him and watched as his face changed expressions. It finally ended on one of anger, but she could still see the effects of her kiss in his eyes. Her heart skipped as she realized that he had enjoyed the kiss as well, and she stepped back, giving the enraged professor more room. She did not want to get caught in whatever he was about to dish out at her.

"If you were still in Gryffindor, Miss Granger, I can assure you that your points would be so far under the dirt that there would never be a chance of regaining them again. As it is, I can only have you removed from the premises and banned from ever entering them again." Hermione's eyes widened and her breathing quickened a little. She hadn't expected such an explosive reaction, and she feared his anger now. She knew he could see it in her eyes. Snape snapped his fingers and two tall figures walked into the room. Snape pointed to Hermione and they nodded, reaching out for her. Hermione gasped as they grabbed her arms but did not struggle; she knew that struggling would only make things worse for her in the end, so she followed them obediently. Snape motioned to one of them and he walked away from her, leaving her in the arms of the other giant man. She watched as Snape whispered something into his ear and the man nodded. Both of them stared at Hermione and she felt her insides turn to stone. She disliked the way the tall man lumbered toward her, and she disliked it even more when they put a blindfold over her eyes. She was definitely going to die.

The men moved her through the hallways at an alarming rate and Hermione struggled to keep up with. She stumbled once or twice and instead of waiting for her, they pulled her along across the floor. She struggled to get back up, but she finally managed it and continue the jog to wherever they were taking her. They finally stopped walking and not long afterward Hermione could hear a door creak open. They pushed her through the door and sat her down on a chair somewhere in the room. Before they left they tied up her hands and feet, and then when they finished they finally left.

Hermione waited in that room for what seemed like hours before she finally heard the door open again. She stood up, knocking over the chair, and began to scream at whomever walked through it.

"Let me go, you brute! I will not go down without a fight! I'm stronger than you think I am!" She stopped talking when she felt hands glide past her cheeks and to the tie on the back of her head. The blindfold fell away and she saw Snape standing in front of her, his face as blank as usual. She took a step back, completely surprised.

"Calm yourself, Miss Granger, I know full well what you are and are not capable of. However, He added, staring intensely at her, "I've recently found out that you are capable of quite a lot." Hermione bit her lip, knowing he was referencing the kiss, and she added it to her list of regrets. She took a step back to distance herself from him but he took a step forward and kept the distance the same. He towered over her predatorily and she cowered, feeling every bit like the caught mouse. "Why did you do it, Granger?" His voice wavered a bit and Hermione understood what he was saying: He wanted to know why she had really done it. He didn't want a lie. She took in a deep breath and stared into his eyes.

"Because I've wanted to do it for so long." She swallowed nervously and watched him as he backed away from her. He clasped his hands together behind his back and paced about the room nervously, carefully thinking his next words through before he spoke them. He stopped suddenly and turned to Hermione, causing her to freeze where she stood. She had not been expecting the next words that came from Snape's mouth, and started laughing when he finished them.

"You will report to me for detention once a week, Miss Granger, and the punishment for not showing up will be very unpleasant for you. Do you understand me?"

It turned out that when Snape had said detention, he had meant lunch; once a week Hermione would travel to Hogwarts and dine with Snape in the very same room that she had received her punishment in. The room turned out to be Snape's quarters, and Hermione was surprised at how bare they were; there was a modestly covered bed, a table, and a few chairs. She had expected something extravagant and beautiful from him, but the room was barely furnished and she was astounded. She decided that each time she visited him she was going to bring him one object to place in his room and brighten it up.

Lunch lasted only an hour for him on the days that Hermione came, and so the time they spent together always seemed to fly by quickly. She would wait around in the room for as long as she could and when she finally could not stall any longer, she would leave with a heavy heart, wishing she could spend more time with the man she had become accustomed to seeing.

As Snape was leaving the room one day, Hermione decided that she would not leave, and so she sat in the room and waited for him to return. He did not return until late, and when he did he was surprised to see the bushy haired girl laying peaceful in his now nicely furnished bed. Her hair was strewn all over the place and he noted how comfortable she looked. He couldn't deny that he was beginning to feel for the know-it-all and that he liked the look of her in his bed like she belonged there. Snape took a deep breath before he gently touched her shoulder and rocked her back and forth. When she finally opened her eyes he stood straight up and stared down at her.

"Miss Granger, please explain to me why you are in my bed." Hermione blinked up at him sleepily and mumbled sometime inaudible, which he had to ask her to repeat.

"I said it's because I love you," she yawned and nuzzled her face deeper into his pillow, falling back asleep.

Snape stood, not bothering to try to wake her again, and thought about what his next course of action would be. He contemplated forcing her to leave his bed, but he did not like the idea very much and decided that it was not an option. He went over many possibilities before he finally decided to leave her where she was and lay on the couch that was in the corner. He had a very restless sleep that night, and when he finally did fall asleep, he had disturbing dreams that left him tired in the morning.

When he woke up he expected to see Hermione still in his bed, but she had obviously vanished sometime during the night. He continued through the day constantly thinking of her and whether or not he would find he waiting for him in his bed that night.

She was not there when he returned.

Over the next few weeks Hermione did not show up to lunch, and Severus could not find it in himself to punish her. He knew that even if she did return, he would not be able to even so much as scold her for not attending lunch.

It had been a few months since he had last seen Hermione when she finally showed up again; he entered his room late one night to find her sleeping in his bed again, and he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He hadn't truly realized how much he had missed the girl's presence until she had left for so long. Severus walked over to his bed quickly and placed himself on the sheets behind the girl and fell asleep with her in his arms.

When he woke up the morning after that, she was still there, and she was staring at his face, watching him sleep.

"I am no kindhearted sap, Miss Granger. I would've thought you'd realized this by now." Hermione was not surprised when he slowly opened his eyes and she shook her head at him.

"It doesn't matter, Severus. I love you anyways."

From that point on Severus would always return to his room at night to find her waiting in his bed, though she was often asleep by the time he got there. Each night he would climb into bed next to her and fall asleep with her in his arms, and then each morning he would wake up with her in the same place. This pattern kept going on for months until one night Severus did not return to his room, and Hermione woke up next to a box. She opened it, and inside of it was a tiny ring with a little white stone in the middle.

Hermione looked down at the same ring that was on her finger and then over to her husband, who was soundly asleep in their bed. She walked over to him silently and kneeled down so that she was at eye level with him. He had not changed so much over the years, and yet Hermione was now more attracted to him than she ever had been before. Her heart swelled with love and she reached out and touched his cheek. Her cool hands met with his warm face, and it brought him from his sleep.

He looked up sleepily at her and blinked a few times, trying to get the room around him to focus. When he was finally able to see, he spotted Hermione sitting inches away from him, their noses nearly touching.

"Hermione, darling, what are you doing?" He grumbled out, his voice still heavy with sleep. He reached out toward her and pulled her head in to give her a light kiss and she closed her eyes. When he let her chin go, she leaned forward and gave him another quick peck before she pulled her head back and yawned. It was not until she had crawled into the bed next to him and snuggled up against his body that she finally answered him.

"I woke up thinking and I ended up remembering how we first fell in love." She paused. "You know, when I was in my seventh year at Hogwarts. " She smiled and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being next to him. For her, it would never get old being next to Severus. She loved the feeling of being curled up next to his warm, protective body, and would not trade it for anything in the world. She looked up into his eyes and was met with a look of stern disagreement.

"At that time, Hermione, I was most certainly not in love with

you."

Hermione sighed and blinked at him. "I know you weren't, but it was close enough. You would've been in serious trouble if we had fallen in love then, but it did happen not long after I left Hogwarts. I mean, it basically began during my last year." Hermione cuddled her face into his chest and felt his chest rumble as he spoke.

"I suppose."

She snuggled closer to Severus and closed her eyes. "What would have happened if I hadn't fallen in love with you?" She questioned him, feeling herself drift off to sleep. Severus shook his head and rested it on the pillow again, his dark hair splaying across it messily.

"You would've fallen in love with someone else." He waited for her to respond, but minutes passed in silence and Severus finally looked down to find her sleeping comfortably against his chest. He sighed contentedly and found himself drifting back off to sleep as well. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her body close to his before he finally shut his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep again, completely forgetting the hypothetical he did not want to consider, and instead dreaming of the children he wanted to have with her one day. He would not change any of the choices he had made during his life, and he was sure that she would not either.


End file.
